Irancell, Ericsson Test 5G Systems

Iran’s second largest mobile operator, MTN Irancell, and Sweden’s Ericsson jointly conducted a test of 5G connection in Tehran over the weekend.

The transmission systems — which were as big as two conventional washing machines — were provided by Ericsson.

During the test, a 4K video was transmitted using 5G technology in a few milliseconds.4K refers to a horizontal resolution in the order of 4,000 pixels. Transferring a file with 4K resolution takes more than few minutes using the conventional 4G communication technology.

Irancell and Ericsson have an agreement for the development and expansion of the fifth generation of wireless networks (5G) in Iran.

Introduction of 5G will be seen as a game changer. It is expected to significantly improve end-user experience and usher in a new era in telecom industries.

Ericsson director for Iran and Turkey, Ralf Pichler, was present at the event and said the technology will be available by 2020 and become globally accessible a year later.

During the event at Irancell headquarters, the company’s CEO Alireza Dezfouli said “We are aiming to keep pace with the international operators. Iran will not be left behind again.”

Dezfouli was addressing concerns in many business and industrial quarters that the domestic telecom sector will not be able to keep pace with robust international players. They point out to the fact that the fourth generation of wireless networks (4G) was launched in Iran in late 2014 almost three years after its international introduction.

One of the other speakers at the event was the Telecoms Minister Mohammad JavadAzari Jahromi. He recommended Irancell establish a showroom of use-cases of 5G technology at the Iran Telecommunication Research Center.

“Operators can attract investment from other economic sectors and industries by showing the benefits of using the fifth generation of wireless networks,” he told the gathering.

It is reported that 5G will be significantly faster than 4G, allowing for higher productivity across all capable devices with a theoretical download speed of 10,000 Mbps.

Furthermore, the technology will significantly help reduce power consumption. One of the difficulties that industries — especially those relying on remote sensing and remote controlling systems — are facing is the short lifespan of batteries and  the need to recharge the devices at short  intervals.

As the 5G technology is expected to decrease power consumption in a notable manner, the sensors used in ‘smart farms’ or ‘smart cities’ will not require recharging frequently. The devices can also be supplied with small solar panel generators without the need for too much space.

Jahromi said both the government and operators need to invest extensively in the development of 5G technology.

Since President Hassan Rouhani took office in 2013 it has looked closely at and invested heavily in modern technology in various economic sectors to help improve their cost advantage.

He and his senior aides on occasions more than one have made clear that the days of managing the affairs of 80 million Iranians with oil export revenues are over and that the economy needs better and efficient ways to use technology if it wants to function and move forward.

Sweden’s ambassador in Tehran, Helena Sangeland, was also present at the event.